9 Simple Ways to Conserve Water

Water is a limited resource – and it’s one we can’t live without. Do your part to protect this precious resource by following these simple tips to conserve water.

It’s summer, and for many areas of the U.S., that means higher than average water usage. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where water isn’t already being rationed, be thankful – and take steps to protect our precious water supply!

Water is a limited resource, and it’s something we can’t make more of, which becomes more of a problem as our population grows, and as we start using water for more and more purposes.

Drinkable water is already scarce in many areas of the world today. It’s time that we stop taking water for granted, and treat it like the precious resource that it is!

The 9 tips below are a few simple ways that most of us can conserve quite a bit of water in our day-to-day activities. However, keep in mind that a single water leak can waste hundreds of gallons per day – more water than most of these things put together. Be sure to keep an eye out for leaky faucets, toilets, etc., and fix them promptly as your first priority when it comes to saving water.

Once your leaks are fixed, make these tips into water-saving habits:

#9. Turn Off the Tap While You Brush

…If you’re in the habit of running the faucet while you brush your teeth… stop it!

Get your brush wet if you want to, and then turn the faucet back off… According to the EPA you can conserve 8 gallons of water a day by making this simple change. That’s about 240 gallons a month, and almost 3000 gallons a year.

#8. Turn Off the Tap While You Wash Your Hands

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…Just get your hands wet first, turn the faucet off, apply soap and scrub – then turn the faucet back on to rinse.#7. Take a Shower, and Time It

A bath can use up 70 gallons of water, while the average shower takes only 10 – 25 gallons. And if you’re feeling like an over achiever on this one, get yourself a shower timer.

…There are smart phone apps for this… or, of course, you could just glance at the clock.

#6. Clean with a Bucket

When you’re cleaning your car, motorcycle, trailer, deck, porch, or whatever; clean it using soapy water in a bucket. A running hose uses about 6 gallons of water a minute, and almost all of it is going to waste. Use the soapy water to wash, and then only use the hose to rinse off.

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#5. Water Wisely

Lots of people go for the hose when they see their plants “laying down” in the afternoon sun. This is the worst time to water. Depending on conditions, much of that water is probably evaporating before it does any good for the soil or the plants. Water very early in the morning, or very late in the evening, if possible.

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#4. Use a Spot Sprinkler (Or Drip Irrigation)

When you do need to water in the afternoon, use the right tool for the job. Oscillating sprinklers and irrigation system sprinkler heads are especially susceptible to evaporation during hot afternoon hours….

Try a spot sprinkler for afternoon watering, or use a drip irrigation hose that puts water directly at the base of the plant….

#3. Give Up on Your Garden (Temporarily)

In some areas, you may actually want to plan your garden so that you give it a rest for a few weeks during the heat of summer. Otherwise, you’re just wasting water….

Obviously, this only applies to places where the heat is intense enough that you end up in a losing battle. (West and Southwest areas of the U.S.) If you’re gardening up north, there’s no reason not to garden in July. But if you’re watering non-stop and your harvest is getting smaller and smaller, cut your losses. Just for a few weeks. Then pick back up in time for fall crops.

#2. Back Off the Water Pressure

In my mind, probably the single biggest thing people can do to conserve water is to back off the water pressure and use the appropriate amount of water for the task at hand. I see it all the time when someone is rinsing their hands, or a clean dish, with the faucet wide open. The task could be done just as quickly with the faucet barely turned on.

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#1. Kill Your Lawn

Yep. I said it. And I know nobody wants to hear it, but we’re wasting the most water on our lawns. They don’t feed us, medicate us, or provide shelter to any of our local wildlife – yet we spend billions of gallons of water on our lawns every single day. Check out some stats on this issue in this post: Replace Lawns with Edible Gardens.